Colenso. — On the Ferns of New Zealand. 223 



to margin, clavate, red ; margins white, cartilaginous and re- 

 curved, undulate and slightly crenulate-denticulate, closely 

 ciliate ; the lowest pair of lobes cut nearly to rhachis and 

 shorter than the pair above them, and much broader in the 

 lower basal portion, which is cordate sub-auricled and divergent; 

 the upper lobes cut about half-way to rhachis ; the terminal 

 lobe large, broad, sub-ovate-acuminate, the base once crenately 

 lobcd, tip truncate. Stipes 3 inches long, channelled (also 

 rhachis), fiexuous ; the upper part very slender, almost filiform, 

 straw-coloured, finely hairy, hairs patent ; the lower portion 

 much compressed, fiat, dark-brown, sub-scaberulous. Scales 

 subulate-lanceolate, much acuminate, f inch long, red-brown, 

 glossy, finely striate ; margins slightly and distantly denticulate ; 

 cells numerous, linear-oblong. 



Hob. Sides of Mount Tongariro, County of East Taupo ; 

 1887 : Messrs. Owen and Hill. 



Obs. This species is peculiar, inasmuch as it is scarcely 

 allied (or, if so, not closely) to any one of our known New 

 Zealand species of this genus, including also the Australian 

 ones with those of the neighbouring islands. In its soft herba- 

 ceous texture it approaches L. nigra ; in its pilose character 

 (slightly) L. vidcanica ; in the position and shape of its lobes 

 (but again only very lightly) L. discolor ; perhaps its nearest 

 ally is L. vidcanica, but from that species ifc differs considerably 

 in several characters — as in size, colour, texture, cutting and 

 shape of frond and lobes (particularly the lower pair of lobes 

 and the terminal ones), in venation which is much branched 

 throughout, especially in the terminal lobe, (and this character 

 alone is a rather unusual one in this genus, although it obtains 

 in a lesser degree in L. nigra,) and in its slender compressed 

 stipe, and red-brown (not " black ") scales. Unfortunately a 

 fruitful frond has not been seen, and my only specimen appears 

 to have been broken off at some distance above ground, being 

 quite clean and free from earthy particles. 



2. L. nf/f/rcr/ata, sp. nov. 



Rhizome (underground) long, 2-3 inches or more, narrow, 

 woody. Root-stock (above ground) 1-2 inches, with many 

 stipites and numerous blackish subulate scales ; rootlets brown, 

 lon^r, fibrous, hairy, much branched ; several perfect plants 

 growing in separate tufts or heads from one root-stock. Plant 

 small, tufted; fronds erect, spreading, 4-6 inches high, linear- 

 lanceolate, pinnate, membranaceous, glabrous, green inclining 

 to pale ; stipes various lengths, -|-1 inch (sometimes, but rarely, 

 3 inches), very slender, channelled, minutely and thickly papil- 

 lose, reddish-brown, scaly below at bases : sterile frond 3-5 inches 

 long, 6-9 lines wide, pinnato-pinnatifid, the green lamina 

 completely severed to rhachis (merely the extremely narrow 



